Hele Bay Beach (Devon)

Ilfracombe harbour is the largest on the North Devon coast. The harbour has been critical to this are for several centuries. Ilfracombe harbour is an ideal location from which to explore North Devon, in particular areas like Lundy Island, and other harbours along the North Cornwall and Bristol Channel coasts.

Ilfracombe lifeboat station was established in 1850 although the first boat was a pilot boated kitted out in 1828. The station now hosts two lifeboats. RNLI shop and station open to the public.

Wildersmouth beach is one of Ilfracombe two beaches and is a small rocky bay with shingle and sand that all but disappears at high tide. This bay is sheltered and peaceful with high sided cliffs. Take the walk up the zig-zagging path to the top of Capstone Hill where you have great views along the coast and Ilfracombe itself. Car parking and Ilfracombe has lots of facilities just a short walk away. We have no dog information for Wildersmouth beach.

Tunnels beach are formed by two segregated Victorian bathing pools – there were no accessible beaches close to the town until a series of tunnels was dug in the 1820’s – these led to two, segregated by sex, bathing pools. These were tidal pools that for many were the first chance to learn to swim. These are no longer maintained for use and one has fallen into complete disrepair. Facilities nearby in the town. We have no dog information for Tunnels beach.

Broad Sands is a beach near Watermouth between Ilfracombe and Combe Martin on Devon’s North Coast. The beach is a sand and shingle cove protected by high wooded cliffs with some rocks to climb and caves worth exploring with care. The high cliffs make this a sheltered beach for swimming. Although this is a hard beach to access you will find in the summer this can be busy as you have some local holiday parks. The beach has no facilities with access down a steep cliff descent of 200+ steps from the coast path. Devon also has a similarly named beach on the south coast near Paignton, click here for Broadsands beach, Paignton.

Combe Martin Bay is a sandy and shingle sheltered cove on the edge of the Exmoor National Park. An ideal family beach. As the tide goes out a large area of sand is available with rock pools and safe swimming. The bay at Combe Martin is enclosed by high sea cliffs, the Great and Little Hangman, on either headland. The Great Hangman is 318m (1043ft) with 250m or 820ft of it a sheer cliff. This is the highest point on the South West Coast Path. Parking, toilets, pubs, cafe and shops. We have no dog information for Combe Martin Bay beach.

Lee Bay beach has a very gentle slope and the beach is also accessible from the coastal path via a National Trust maintained path and staircase down the cliff face. As the tide goes out you get more sand as it emerges from among the rocks. Lee Bay is located on a rugged stretch of coast between Ilfracombe and Woolacombe, which includes Bull Point (with its lighthouse) and Morte Point, both notorious for shipwrecks, and both on the South West Coast Path. Parking, pub, post office and shop.

Bull Point lighthouse gives a guide to vessels navigating off the North Devon coast with a red sector light marking the Rockham Shoal and the Morte Stone. Bull Point Lighthouse gives a guide to vessels navigating off the North Devon Coast with a red sector light marking the Rockham Shoal and the Morte Stone off Morte Point. The light was first established in 1879 on the headland near the village of Mortehoe, North Devon, and operated without undue incident for 93 years, but on 18th September, 1972, the Principal Keeper reported ground movement in the area of the engine room and the passage leading to the lighthouse, and that 2″ fissures were opening up. In the early hours of Sunday morning, 24th September, 15 metres of the cliff face crashed into the sea and a further 15 metres subsided steeply causing deep fissures to open up inside the boundary wall. Walls cracked and the engine/fog signal station partly collapsed, leaving it in a dangerous condition and putting the fog signal out of action.